Safety Coach
Buckle Up for Holiday Travel
In the coming days, millions of Americans will jam roads and airports during the long Thanksgiving weekend. Some will hop in the back seat of a ride-share vehicle on their way to or from the airport. Will they buckle up?
What reason do people give for not buckling up in the back seat? Does every state have a seat belt law? Can the use of a lap and shoulder belt reduce the chance of a fatality in a pickup truck rollover?
Get the conversation started and prepare your team for safe holiday travel with our engaging new Seat Belt Safety Quiz.
More than 46% of people killed in crashes last year in Texas were unrestrained at the time of the incident, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. This TxDOT report on crash injuries by date shows there were 72 fatalities over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday driving period and 205 serious injuries.
Across the U.S., seat belt use saves an estimated 15,000 lives every year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Think of seat belts as your first line of defense.
On the road, you can’t stop the other driver from engaging in impaired driving, aggressive driving or distracted driving behaviors. But you can wear your seat belt to protect yourself in the event of a crash and ask all your passengers to buckle up, too.
You can choose safety.
In the workplace, protect your team by continuing to provide traffic safety education and training, and by sharing these free resources:
- Infographics: Download and share
- Posters: Display on a bulletin board or share digitally
- Driver Behavior Micro e-Learning: Short lessons compatible with mobile devices
- NHTSA Playbook: Thanksgiving safety assets, including ready-made social videos and graphics
Make it a Thanksgiving tradition to ensure friends and loved ones buckle up – every trip, every time.
Tailgate Talk
Predicting Behavior
A new report from the American Transportation Research Institute points to five truck driver behaviors strongly linked to crashes:
- Failure to yield the right of way
- Failure to use turn signals
- Past history of crashes
- Past history of reckless driving
- Failure to obey traffic signs
Read the full report, Predicting Truck Crash Involvement, showing the likelihood of crashes involving your drivers, and work to keep your team safe through traffic safety education.
Elevate safety by hiring qualified drivers. Provide continuous training, not just annual training. Work to ensure people who are driving as part of their job make safety the priority.
One of the least expensive and most effective ways to keep all of your employees safe behind the wheel is to promote seat belt safety, whether your employees are driving a fleet vehicle as part of their job or driving their personal vehicle for company business.
Seat belts protect drivers and passengers from ejection in a crash. Seat belts save lives. In fact, research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows buckling up in a light truck:
- Reduces the risk of crash fatalities by 45%
- Reduces the risk of critical injury by 65%
Why talk about seat belt safety now? With so many people hitting the road during the upcoming holiday driving periods, you can have a big impact your employees’ driving behavior. Remember: Seat belts are just one part of the conversation.
Share our five new driver behavior safety videos on your intranet safety page to bolster your education and training efforts. Each one lasts about 60 seconds:
- Seat Belts: English and Spanish
- Speeding: English and Spanish
- Impairment: English and Spanish
- Fatigue: English and Spanish
- Distraction: English and Spanish
Each one of these traffic safety videos is designed to drive behavior change. Watch them to generate renewed enthusiasm for safety. Forecast your team’s future behavior and turn your predictions into reality.